Crowd peltspolice withbeer bottles,1 arrested

DURHAM — Police officers were met with thrown beer bottles, anger and chanting on Saturday, as they worked to control a crowd of about 500 college-aged people at Madbury Court.

One man, 21-year-old Jordan M. Mahar, of Wolfeboro, was arrested on charges of riot, assault on a police officer, and resisting arrest.

Police responded to the Madbury Court area around 4:11 p.m., after several residents asked police to remove a large crowd. Police Deputy Chief Rene Kelley said that two Durham police officers arrived, and saw a crowd of about 500 young people blocking the street and congregating on lawns of several apartment buildings.

The Durham officers called for assistance from UNH police, and when the two agencies attempted to disperse the crowd, they were met with a “barrage of thrown beer bottles and beer cans,” according to Kelley.

One Durham police officer was struck on the side of the head with a thrown beer bottle, said Kelley, but there were no injuries.

The responding officers then withdrew and requested assistance from other area police agencies.

State Police, as well as police departments from UNH, Lee, and Newmarket then responded to the scene, and as they attempted to disperse the crowd for the second time, they were again met with bottles and cans.

Several officers were struck, according to Kelley.

Police then deployed pepper spray and pepper balls, and the crowd slowly left the area, according to police.According to Kelley, as officers worked to control the situation, members of the crowd were openly drinking in the street, and some were on the rooftops of apartment buildings, posing another potential danger to the officers, who were concerned about items that might be thrown from the roof.

Mahar, who is not a UNH student, was arrested by UNH police after he allegedly threw a beer bottle at a UNH police officer. Kelley said that Mahar was in close proximity of the officers who were trying to move the crowd along at the time he was arrested, and was more identifiable than other members of the crowd who were throwing beer cans and bottles.

Mahar is currently being held at Strafford County jail on $5,000 cash bail, with arraignment scheduled for Monday, at 10:45 a.m., at Dover District Court.

The riot charge Mahar is facing is a felony, while the simple assault and resisting arrest charges are Class A misdemeanors. Kelley said that the simple assault charge could be enhanced, as the assault allegedly took place against a police officer.On Saturday evening, Kelley said it is unclear why the students became angry at police when they were asked to leave the area. He said that while it’s not unusual for police to get calls about a large party, it is very unusual for officers to be met with the kind of resistance seen on Saturday, or to have beer bottles thrown at police.The apartments at Madbury Court, he said, are primarily being rented by students, and late Saturday afternoon, “It appeared there were several parties going on,” said Kelley.

He noted that the large number of people blocking the road made it impossible for an emergency vehicle, such as an ambulance, to pass through if needed.

About 20 police cruisers from various agencies were seen in the area, as officers worked to control the crowd.

The incident remains under investigation. Kelley said that police will soon be speaking with the owners of the apartment buildings as part of their investigation.